Promoting Political Participation

July 3, 2006—Kuwaiti women, who were granted the right to vote just last year, voted for the first time in the country’s June 29 parliamentary election. They joined their sisters across the globe who are voting, running for office and leading nations.

But despite the decades of progress that led to this historic vote, today less than 17 percent of all parliamentary seats are held by women. And, women are at the highest levels of public office in only a handful of nations.

CEDPA is committed to empowering women and youth to participate in decisionmaking, whether at the community, national or global level. We know that until women are represented more fully in local, national and international decision-making bodies, their priorities will not receive needed resources.

For 30 years, CEDPA has worked together with local organizations to support an equal role for women and youth in their communities and nations:

• To increase women’s participation in decision making in Nigeria, CEDPA initiated the Democracy and Governance program in 1996. CEDPA/Nigeria partnered with local community activists to mobilize and register more than 750,000 people to vote in the first democratic Nigerian election, nearly a third of all the country’s registered voters. These 100 Women’s Groups elected a third of the 145 female candidates proposed for elective office in 1999, and women became a new force in Nigerian politics.
  
• In South Africa, CEDPA partners with women’s groups, including legal centers and advocacy organizations, to build a coalition of women leaders and promote women’s rights under the Women’s Legal Rights Initiative. Funded by the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID), the five-year project focuses on reducing violence against women through opportunities to participate in economic, social and political events in their communities.
  
• Youth struggle in Nepal with the ongoing conflict that has weakened the country’s economy, infrastructure and community life for the past decade. Through the Communities for Peace Program, CEDPA/Nepal works to provide youth with alternatives to violence and strengthen community efforts against violence.
  
• In Egypt, CEDPA has been funded by USAID to strengthen youth’s civic participation. The two-year Enabling Young People’s Civic Participation in Egypt project will develop national and local networks of youth leaders, in partnership with the Egyptian National Council for Youth.
  

CEDPA also strengthens women’s leadership through national and global training programs. This fall, CEDPA will host women working in post-conflict reconstruction to enhance their leadership, management and advocacy skills. The four-week WomenLead in Promoting Peace and Stability workshop ensures that the participants are able to effectively participate in and shape peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction.

Former alumni of CEDPA’s leadership programs have gone on to high level political positions in their countries. Dr. Massouda Jalal holds the Minister of Women's Affairs position in the Afghan government. As one of three women holding cabinet posts in Kenya’s government, Charity Ngilu serves as the Minister of Health.

In Nigeria, Josephine Anenih operates as the National Woman Leader of the People’s Democratic Party. And nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, Hilda Saeed of Pakistan represented the untold numbers of women worldwide who are engaged in conflict resolution and peace building.

Our experience demonstrates that increasing women and youth’s involvement in public life improves communities and nations, and strengthens democracy. CEDPA commits itself to improving youth and women’s active participation in all levels of decisionmaking to ultimately reach the goals of sustainable development, equality and peace.

  What is RSS?